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It was Deacon who took on the role of Master of Ceremonies for the evening show, which saw 40 hopeful graduates parade their designs in front of press and fashion enthusiasts alike (including pop star Will Young, who was also sitting front row at the University of Westminster's graduate show last week).

The graduates were categorised into womenswear, menswear, print and fashion design and marketing, with designs ranging from minimal to quite the opposite. Fledgling designers often indulge a tendency to create looks that are far from wearable, and many of last night's graduates didn't disappoint on that count: fluffy toy animal heads topped Akiko Nei's designs, while Cassandra Verity Green's models carried fishbowls (complete with living goldfish) instead of handbags.

Highlights included some stunning prints from Colombine Jubert and Min Nan Hui, as well as simple but expertly cut structural shapes in Ming Ma's designs. Shinsuke Nakano's models walked slowly and sombrely down the catwalk in her highly textured, pure white pieces, while Lois Blamire showed off intricate craftsmanship in her mostly pink collection, strategically placing zips and cut-outs to flatter her models' forms.

At the end of the show Deacon stood up to congratulate all of the aspiring designers and to announce the three finalists for the L'Oréal Professionel Award. The third runner up, Giacomo Cavallari, showed off simple but intricate menswear with graphic panels, while the second runner up, Narae Park, presented her abstract, gritty florals alongside a haunting soundtrack.

It was Mao Usami, though, who took home the award, and looked overwhelmed as she was presented with her prize by none other than Phoebe Philo, creative director of Céline, who had been watching in silent appreciation from the front row wearing a mannish coat and snakeskin slip-on trainers.

Usami's collection was casual but abstract; models wore tartan baseball jackets with unzipped trousers and shuffled down the catwalk in oversized socks. "I'm proud of them all for doing it," Philo told
Vogue.co.uk
after the show. "It requires being fearless which I wholly believe in. They're young and courageous. There was some real attitude and balls there; it felt exciting and I wish them well."